How do we assess if a learner can be trusted to care for a human life?

Across healthcare, assessing competency has become a major concern. And it is an awesome responsibility. Schools of nursing and schools of medicine want to ensure that their graduates are prepared to care for patients. Hospitals and other institutions want to grow and develop their staff to become even better care providers. Relying on competency as a sole measure of readiness, however, creates a challenge.  Competency is about meeting standardized levels of proficiency. It is not about whether a learner can be trusted to care for a human life without supervision. 

In this Part 2 of a two-part series, hear Olle Ten Cate, Phd, outline a simple model for assessing whether a learner is ready to care for a patient autonomously.  A pioneer in his field, Dr. Cate is Director of the Center for Research & Development of Education at the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands. In this podcast he makes a compelling case for assessing Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) as a determinant of a learner’s readiness for independent practice. He outlines five critical areas that are foundational to trust that every organization should consider. In Dr. Cate’s words, "Trust is the foundation of medical education. It's not just about acquiring knowledge and skills but also about demonstrating reliability and responsibility." 

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